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THREAD: U.S. National Anthem is not easy to sing, let alone sing well. Then add the pressure of an historic inauguration, hundreds of millions watching live, & wind/cold. Only a true musician & performer who has mastered their craft can pull off what Lady Gaga did today. (1/11)
1) The link to Lady Gaga’s performance is below. 2) This gets a little “music-nerdy” so be prepared. 3) It’s so rewarding to listen to a song you’ve heard a thousand times but never in this way and be moved by it. (2/11)
I have a list of top Anthem performances (doesn’t everyone?) and Lady Gaga’s easily made that list. Artists make purposeful choices in their versions and arrangements and today’s Banner was no exception. A quick look at some things that stood out to me. (3/11)
Lady Gaga’s version used a technique that’s been used by many, perhaps most notably Whitney Houston at Super Bowl XXV; use of a 4/4 time signature instead of the original 3/4 & you typically hear from wind bands. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/anthem-of-freedom-how-whitney-houston-remade-the-star-spangled-banner (4/11)
This allows the notes/lyrics to speak more lyrically. It also enables the transition to a 3/4 time signature later in the song to add impact and create the illusion of quickening the pace. Gaga also doesn’t use many vocal “flourishes” which are common in pop renditions. (5/11)
Whoever made the decision to make “proudly we hailed” a triplet should get a raise. In the next verse (a repeat musically), the same musical line (“ramparts we watched”) is played “straight” instead of a triplet. Keeps the beginning of the piece interesting. (6/11)
Let’s not forget to mention the excellent pacing as well as her powerful, strong vocal quality while gesturing to engage those watching. This was a true performance which reached its emotional peak NOT where you’d expect… (7/11)
Typically, people wait for “the land of the free…” for the artist to belt out some crazy high note and that’s the emotional height of the piece. Not so here – not so at all. (8/11)
Whether purposefully done based on the evens of Jan. 6 or not, it was unbelievably effective to make “the flag was still there” the emotional high point of this rendition with Gaga gesturing behind her to the flag on top of the capitol. (9/11)
This version really got me and easily adds itself to my top list of renditions which includes Houston’s Super Bowl performance, Faith Hill’s at Super Bowl XXXIV, and Chris Botti’s solo trumpet beauty before a 2014 MNF game. Links follow. (10/11)
Links (11/11)
Whitney:
Hill:
Botti:
Whitney:
Hill:
Botti:
